- Unemployment in Marathon County is at historic lows, and remains better than Wisconsin and the U.S.
- Marathon County's labor force participation rate of 69% is higher than Wisconsin and the U.S.
- Access to higher education in Central Wisconsin is better than it's ever been. Barriers to higher education have been greatly reduced and is evident with more young people getting degrees than previous generations.
- Marathon County's local economy is diverse, driven by the key industries of manufacturing, health care, finance & insurance, agriculture, and tourism.
- Marathon County has lower poverty rates than Wisconsin and the U.S.
- Marathon County has gained new residents from surrounding rural counties but has lost residents to larger urban areas in the Midwest. Explore opportunities for local employers to enhance their recruiting and retention strategies must be explored.
- Develop quality places and amenities to attract the best and brightest.
- Attract and retain a younger, well-educated workforce to keep Marathon County's workforce strong.
- Develop consistent pipelines from K-12 to higher education to employment.
- Encourage supply chain innovation, upstream technology development, and the formation of new businesses driven by the region’s existing industries.
- Increase affordable multi-unit family housing.
